Dream Guardian
by Scififan33
Summary: Growing up, only one person ever looked out for Tidus but when Auron returns from years away, everything changes. Thrown into a world he doesn't understand all Tidus wants is to return home. Instead, Auron encourages him to follow the girl, a Summoner, on her Pilgrimage to defeat Sin and give Spira the calm. Why him?
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Don't own FFX_

 **Chapter 1**

Tidus looked out at where his Mom was speaking with one of the Coast Guard, not sure why he was there. His Dad wasn't home but when was he? He'd gone to sea training yesterday and was probably there again today, if he wasn't drunk in a bar somewhere. He slipped outside and moved close enough to hear without being seen.

"It's been nearly a day already."

"Perhaps you could go look for us?" he heard his Mom ask and he had a bad feeling.

"People are searching for him now," the guard assured her awkwardly.

"Thank you." She whispered but as soon as he was gone her hands covered her face her shoulders shaking and Tidus knew she was crying. There was only one reason for that….maybe his dad hadn't come back last night after he'd gone to sleep and then left really early. Maybe he had never come home from the sea.

Tidus stepped out from his hiding spot. "Is he missing?" he asked, and she lowered her hands.

"The coast guard is looking for him," she promised, face marred by tears and Tidus scoffed angrily.

"Who cares whether he comes back or not?"

"But he might die!"

"Fine, let him!" Tidus snapped, of course, his dad was all she ever cared about.

"Do you…Do you hate him so?" she asked in shock and he nodded. "If he dies, you'll never be able to tell him how much you hate him," she offered weakly and Tidus turned away, going inside to work on his lessons.

The search lasted three days before the Coast Guard gave up, six months later Jecht was declared dead and his Mom got sick. He tried to tell himself he didn't care…but he did. All Tidus could do was watch as his Mom stopped eating in her grief over Jecht, gradually growing weaker and weaker. Tidus tried to help and even got medical help, but the doctor said she had lost the will to live.

"Don't leave me Mom," he whispered in the darkness of the night, but she didn't listen and seven weeks later he stood alone on the deck as her body was committed to the sea.

"Are you Jecht's son?" An unfamiliar voice asked and Tidus turned to see a strangely dressed man on the dock.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Auron. I…was a friend of Jecht."

Tidus snorted, angrily wiping away his tears.

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Auron studied the boy before him, he did not look a lot like Jecht, but this was the houseboat his fellow Guardian had described on the journey. "Is your Mother here?" he asked, feeling awkward. Then again, he'd been feeling strange ever since he had died and refused to pass on to the Farplane, held by too many promises. The boy pointed out to see and Auron could just make out something beginning to sink…a body. Now what was he meant to do? He stepped onto the boat and made his way to the boys' side, carefully laying a hand on his shoulder, trying to offer comfort. He had not dealt with a lot of children as a monk and had not interacted with young Yuna all that much before they had left or when he had charged Kimahri with her protection. "I am sorry."

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Tidus just shrugged, everyone was sorry, that didn't change anything or being his Mom back. "Why are you here?" he wanted to lean into that hand but instead pulled away, moving to lean against the rail and look at the man. It was weird, he had one arm hidden in his coat, he'd thought he only had one arm at first glance.

"I promised Jecht I would watch over you."

"I don't need anyone," Tidus grumbled. All people did was ignore him or leave. They only ever cared about his stupid Dad. And why would his Dad care about someone looking after him when all he had ever down was make fun of him or put him down? He had the houseboat and the money his Dad had earnt playing Blitzball, he could look after himself.

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Auron hesitated before nodding and retreating, for now. He could watch over him from a distance, let the boy grieve in peace for a time. He just hoped the Calm lasted long enough for him to grow to adulthood.

He found a place to stay and kept watch over Tidus as the weeks and then months passed. It was six months before he approached again and while the boy wasn't welcoming he also didn't demand he leave. He was no help with the boys' school work, but he did begin working with him on physical fitness. He simply did his exercises on deck and eventually Tidus began imitating him. It would make a good foundation for fighting but also Blitzball should the boy follow in his Father's footsteps. He did not understand Tidus' anger towards Jecht but he did not push on the topic.

Slowly, the years began to pass and Auron became a permanent fixture in Tidus' life, something disappearing for a month or two, but he always came back. Tidus was twelve when he noticed Auron's sword and showed interest so Auron fashioned him a staff since he was too small for Jecht's sword at the moment. He began teaching him the basics of actual fighting even as Tidus also began proper Blitzball training.

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"Come on Auron!" Tidus called with a grin as he pushed through the crowd. It was easier when Auron went first to push through but the man was walking too slow. The stadium was lit up and the game would start soon, the A-East Abes were playing and he wanted to see them. he wanted to play for them one day.

"There is no rush," Auron answered as he picked up the pace to ensure he didn't lose the fifteen-year-old in the crowd. He'd watched Tidus practice and had no doubt he would be playing in here within a few years…as long as they had that time. He did not wish to abandon him, but he needed to leave, to see how events in Spira were progressing. The peace in Zanarkand was addictive and it was always hard to leave but he needed to keep his skills sharp, so he left for a few weeks at a time several times a year. This time though he knew he would be leaving for longer, possibly years. He just hoped Tidus would be alright on his own.

They found their seats in the Stadium and sat to watch the match, Tidus cheering whenever the Abes made a goal or blocked the opposing team. By the time it was over he was exhausted and Auron chuckled as he steered the boy back home, making sure he got safely into bed. He could wait till morning to tell him.

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Tidus sat on the deck with his legs hanging over the edge, staring out at the sea. Auron had been gone for five months now and he still wasn't used to being so alone. Yeah, he had classes, but they were done at home, alone, via computer. Over the years he'd learnt the houseboats systems inside and out so that he could maintain it on his own. He made sure to keep up with all of his training, not that he thought he'd ever need what Auron had taught him...then again there was the occasional attempted mugging and he knew he was small and young, considered an easy target.

The youngest a professional team would take on a player was sixteen so he had half a year to go before he could try out. He wanted to get by on his own talent and not his Old Man's name. So, he focused on his Blitzball training over everything else except maintaining his home, because his inheritance wouldn't last forever, and he didn't know when Auron would be back. His friend/guardian had promised to come back for him, something no one else had ever done. He really, really wanted to believe hm too.

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Tidus left the Sphere Pool, exhausted but exhilarated. He always felt like that when he was in the water, it was like he belonged when he was in the water. He felt at home and he knew he was able to hold his breath longer than most professional players, he'd always been good at it, how much better would he be once he learned the magic? He lined up with the other hopefuls as the coach began critiquing their performances. He wanted this more than anything and he knew he'd played well.

"Tidus!"

He stepped forward, heart in his throat.

"Welcome to the Abes," the coach smirked and Tidus grinned.

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Tidus left the team and began to wander the city, hands in his pockets, still in his uniform which he had personalised as was allowed. His once brown hair had lightened as he grew until it was blond which he had cut with spiky layers. He wore the logo of the Zanarkand Abes, as a silver pendant, and also printed on his right trouser-leg. He also wore one shorter and one longer trouser-leg, yellow and black shoes, a gauntlet on his left hand and a black glove on the other, a yellow jacket with a white hood, and a blue pauldron and armour over his left arm. The dark dungaree-type outfit he wore over his clothes was fastened with a black belt that had a metal chain. The armour was to help give some extra oomph to his tackles and to protect his dominant arm for throwing in the game. He knew the uniform made him look more like his Dad, but it couldn't be helped when they were both Blitzball players.

In three days it would be the Jecht Memorial Cup tournament finals. He was looking forward to facing the C-South Duggles, but he wasn't looking forward to all the fuss over his Old Man. He was gone, accept it and move on people. He wasn't a hero, he was a drunk and a nasty guy. He didn't miss him, he missed his Mom, he missed Auron…but he still hated Jecht. He was the reason Mom had died, like the love bird the old man had talked about she had gone to join her mate. He had hoped Auron would be back by now, what could he be doing to keep him away for so long? Where was he? He would come back, he'd promised.

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Auron stood on a roof, watching the blonde-haired boy walking below, he had grown while he was gone. He hoped he had become strong in his absence because Sin would be coming within days. He saw an advertisement and chuckled, the Jecht Memorial Cup, there was no doubt that would be the day. Jecht would no doubt find it amusing. He was glad to be back, even briefly, to enjoy the last peace he would likely ever have. Should everything work out, he would be Sent at some point and he accepted it, as long as he succeeded in his mission. It was Tidus he feared for, he knew the Fayth were using him, wanted him to destroy Sin permanently and free them and if that happened, Tidus would die with them. he hadn't asked to be dragged into the battle with Sin, it was unfair to the boy he had half raised but there was no other way. Perhaps one day, Tidus would forgive them all for what was coming.

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 _Listen to my story. This may be our last chance._

Tidus got up from the couch and looked out of the window, seeing the crowds around his houseboat. It was time. He shoved his shoes on and stretched out a bit before heading out, waving as he emerged, listening as they cheered and not noticing the hooded boy who appeared and slipped into the crowd. Tidus smiled as he walked onto the dock, a young woman wearing glasses and looking very nervous standing right at the edge.

"I've been a big fan of yours. From the very beginning!" she admitted, and he grinned.

"I won't let you down," he promised.

"Th-thanks! G-Good luck!" she called as he moved on.

He looked over the crowd, seeing a lot of kids and girls his age. He turned to find a boy in purple, his face hidden by a hood.

"The game tonight…It's very important," the boy stated and Tidus quickly moved on, that was one creepy kid!

He approached two girls maybe a year or two older than him and they grinned.

"Can I have your autograph?" the one in the pink top asked.

"Of course!" he pulled out a pen and signed the ball she held out to him.

"Good luck tonight!" her redheaded friend offered and Tidus smiled.

"Nothing to worry about! Oh, if I score a goal… I'll do this!" he raised his arms. "That will mean it was for you, okay?" he lowered his arms as they tittered. "What seat?"

"East block in the front row!"

"Fifth from the right! Can I see you after the game?"

"You bet!"

"Great! I know this great place…" she smirked and Tidus grinned, looked like he'd have a fun night out partying. "Be careful, okay?"

"Sure thing."

"Thank you for the autograph!" her friend in pink called.

"No problem!" he winked and moved on. He loved his fans and he always did his best to talk to them, not like Jecht who had ignored most of them. he ran into a group of three kids and bent down to be closer to their level.

"Can you sign this?" the kid wearing a bandana held up a ball.

"No prob!" he pulled his pen out again and then found the other two holding out balls as well.

"Please?"

"Alrighty," he quickly signed the second.

"Me too!"

Tidus laughed, "Take it easy."

"Your floating house… It's cool!" the second boy told him. "Can I see inside next time?"

He bandana kid giggled and grinned. "Thanks for the autograph! Get lots of goals, okay?"

"Hey, show me how to play! I want to be a Blitzer, too!"

"Well, gotta go! Cheer for me!" Tidus smiled at the three who exchanged a look.

"… two, three!" Bandana kid called and then they all sent him pleading looks.

"Teach us how to blitz!" they called in unison and Tidus laughed, reaching out to ruffle hair.

"Hey, I got a game to play!"

"Then teach us after!"

"Maybe tonight…um…well…" Tidus wasn't sure what to say.

"You can't tonight," a voice called.

Of course, he had a date tonight. "I mean…tomorrow."

"Promise?"

"Promise!" he flashed them a victory sign and they gave him the Blitzball victory sign in unison. He waved and turned to head for the stadium, not wanting to be late.

Soon he was walking along the highway only to stop as he saw a big image of Jecht on the opposite building. His Old Man moved, crossing his arms and Tidus snorted in disgust, shaking his head even as the audio came on.

"I was in a coffee shop, running away from home when I heard the news. Our hero, Jecht, gone. Vanished into thin air! My dad must have been his biggest fan. I knew how sad he'd be. Heck, we all were that day. "Zanar," I say to myself, "What are you thinking?" I went running straight back home. We sat up talking 'bout Jecht all night. My dad and I never talked so much. Whoa… Didn't mean to reminisce, folks. Anyway… Ten years later, the Jecht Memorial Cup tournament is today! The two teams that have won through to the finals are…of course, the Abes from A-East, and the Duggles from C-South. I know there's a lot of people out there today to see the star of the Abes! In just one year, he's become the team's number one player! He's Jecht's blood, and the new hope of Blitzball! What kind of super play will he show us today? Will we see his father's legendary shot? I don't think I'm the only one excited here, folks!"

Tidus turned away and kept walking. Even as the star player and the youngest on the professional teams… he was still in Jecht's shadow, still known as his son. The crowds began growing the closer he got, and he had to push his way through, excusing himself. He should have come earlier to avoid the crush, but he liked spending time with his fans. Eventually he made it inside and down to the Abes locker room. He stretched out, warming up and then headed into the waiting pool, relaxing against the side, body adjusting quickly to the cool water even a she began the deep breathing exercises. Finally, the signal was given, and he moved into position as the Sphere Pool formed above his head. He grinned at his teammates and then they were diving up and into the pool.

The game was fast and furious, both teams playing dirty and rough. Tidus smirked as he sent an opposing player out of the sphere and into the crowd, sending them wild and he flashed a thumbs up. They moved to set up his signature shot, needing one more goal to wing and he swam up, launching out of the pool and into the air, the ball emerging seconds later as he began rotating. He missed as his eyes widened in horror, seeing the massive wave headed right for the stadium. He reached out, trying to find a handhold as it began to crash over the stadium. He grabbed onto a support beam with one hand but even his glove wasn't giving enough grip and he struggled to bring his other hand up as the stadium shook. He saw the pool blow out, something exploding as people screamed. He almost had his other hand up when his grip slipped, and he plummeted with a scream until everything went black.

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Tidus rolled over and coughed up water, arms wrapped around his middle as his body screamed in pain. What had happened? The game…the wave…falling. He pushed himself up and then staggered to his feet, looking around in shock at the mess the stadium had become. He caught a flash of colour and turned, seeing the uniform of a teammate. He staggered over and then fell to his knees, sick at the sight of her body, crushed beneath rubble. He forced himself back up as screaming people ran by, knocking into him. He turned to follow them, adrenaline beginning to override the pain he saw someone up ahead, leaning against the rubble and then his jaw dropped. "Auron! What are you doing here?"

"I was waiting for you," he answered, turning to walk away.

"What are you talking about?" Tidus demanded, stumbling after him. He followed him onto the overpass, trying to keep him in sight as they moved against the fleeing crowds. Suddenly there was a flash and the world froze, going silent. He turned and there was the creepy kid again. "Huh?"

"It begins."

"Wha?" he didn't understand, what was happening?

"Don't cry," the boy warned before there was another flash and the world started up again.

"What the…?" he looked around, bewildered but then spotted Auron again and ran over. "Hey, wait!" he finally caught up, breathing hard, his rips aching and his hand still sore from hanging on. "Hey, not this way!"

"Look!" Auron looked up and Tidus followed his line of sight only to stare in horror at the strange bubble of water hanging above the city. It had to be the size of fifty sphere pools, at least. "We called it 'Sin'," Auron whispered and Tidus glanced at him, confused.

"'Sin'?" but there was no time for explanations as a tentacle punched through a building, small things falling form it to land on the road around them. Tidus batted at one, trying to get it to back off, only to fall down.

Auron removed a sword and held it out to him. "Take it," he urged and Tidus hesitantly took it, struggling with the weight. He'd never used a sword before, just a staff which was a lot lighter. "A gift from Jecht."

"My old man?" they never talked of him, not since they had first met.

"I hope you know how to use it," Auron warned and Tidus firmed up his stance, needing to prove himself to Auron. He took a deep breath and attacked, taking one out, grinning in triumph. "These ones don't matter. We cut through!" Auron told him and they began cutting down those in their way.

"Get out of my town!" Tidus snarled as he slashed and hacked at a tentacle. They ran on until they were back at the viewscreen which still showed a flickering image of Jecht. "What are you laughing at, old man?" he muttered, looking around Zanarkand was burning. "Auron! Let's get out of here!" if they could make it to the houseboat maybe they'd have a chance.

"We're expected."

"Huh?" but Auron didn't answer him, running ahead again, the opposite way to everyone else. The streets were falling quiet as they moved closer to 'Sin'. "Gimme a break, man!"

They were forced to stop as the biggest group of creatures yet surrounded them. at least they died easily enough, though the exploding into coloured lights was plain weird. "Hmph. This could be bad," Auron admitted, looking around. "That–knock it down!" he cut down a creature before pointing at a nearby damaged tanker.

"What?" was he crazy? Those things were flammable and volatile.

"Trust me. You'll see."

Tidus shook his head but darted over and began slamming his sword into it, leaping back as it began to fall, exploding and taking out most of their opponents.

"Go!"

The both ran as the explosion caused the road to begin to break apart and collapse. Auron easily leapt up and onto the far side. Tidus leapt as the road collapsed and caught far side, dangling by hands. "Auron! Auron!" he cried out, but he was ignored.

Auron looked up at Sin, "You are sure?" he asked and felt the answer. He reached down and hoisted Tidus up by his hood. "This is it. This is your story. It all begins here," he told him even as Tidus gripped his arm, eyes wide in terror, he felt bad about this but there was no other choice.

Tidus stared as Auron was drawn into light, screaming as he was pulled in too. Everything faded to black, no pain, no nothing but then a strange, dreamlike Zanarkand formed beneath him, A flaming Abes symbol hung behind a partial stadium and Tidus began to swim towards it.

"Hey!" a voice called. "HEY!"

"My…old man?" Tidus swam towards the fuzzy image of Jecht standing on platform. Jecht turned into Tidus as a child. Tidus was confused, thoughts whirling through his head…where was he...what was going on…he started feeling light-headed and then sleepy. Was he dreaming? He was alone. He wanted someone– anyone, beside him… so he didn't have to feel alone anymore.

 _TBC…._


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

 **Chapter 2**

Tidus coughed and then choked, yanking his head upwards as he cleared his lungs of water. He blinked, dazed, and stared around. Where was he? He pulled himself fully out of the water and onto the rubble he'd been leaning on. He stood shakily and looked around as lightning flashed overhead. This wasn't Zanarkand and there were no ruin close to the city, how far had he been washed out? "Anybody there?" he yelled, hearing his voice echo. "Auron?" there was no distinctive flash of red anywhere that he could see and that terrified him. Shouldn't they have washed up in the same place? He crossed his arms, shivering in the cold. The weather was a definite clue that he was a long way from home, it never got this cold in Zanarkand.

All he could see was ocean and ruins. Looked like it might have been a town or temple complex or something once but there wasn't much left, at least above water. Looking down he could see more but he wasn't keen to get in. There was no way to know what was in that water and while he was more at home in the water, he wasn't immune to hypothermia. He grinned and yanked the sword Auron had given him out of the water, looping it through metal chain on his belt to make sure he didn't lose it, glad it hadn't gotten lost on the trip. He took a deep breath and plunged back into the freezing water, swimming for the largest structure still above the water line.

He was almost there when he felt something brush against his leg. Please let it be a bit of seaweed….he took a deep breath and dove, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the sting of the salt. He looked around and grimaced, wonderful. One of the few fiends that was common to the seas around Zanarkand and therefore an annoyance and threat to fishermen and Blitzball players alike where the strange fish like creatures that tended to hunt in packs. He pulled his sword free and went to work, they weren't hard to fight, he just had to keep an eye on all of them or he'd end up getting bitten. Of course, there just had to be a bigger fish….he watched, wide eyed as it tore through the remaining fiends before it turned his way. Tidus turned and began swimming for the building, praying for an opening big enough for him but too small for the fish creature. Usually he'd be fine for air, but the freezing cold was making his lungs burn and limbs slow. The water was dark near the building, and even colder if that was possible, but he finally spotted a gap in the stone and swam for it, able to feel the fish right on his heels. He grabbed the edge and pulled himself in, tumbling forward as the fiend slammed into the wall, causing a cave-in.

Tidus hauled himself out of the water, collapsing on the crumbling stairs, gasping for air. He was so tired…he shook his head and pushed up to his feet, stumbling up the stairs and into a hall, rubbing at his chest for warmth. He knew he needed to keep his core warm, at the expense of his extremities or he'd freeze to death. He found a half-shut door and pushed against it, feeling something move behind it. When he had it open enough he slipped through to find it had been blocked by rubble. He looked around the hall, confused by all the water pouring down into it considering the top was well above the water line. He moved away from the wet walls and almost fell over a pile of wood. He knelt down and checked, it was dry and while it had been burnt before it was still usable. He just needed tinder and flint, any matches in this place would be either mouldy or wet. It made him very thankful for all of Auron's survival lessons as a kid, otherwise he wouldn't have a clue what he needed. He began testing the doors until he found one that would open, heading up the stairs while he looked around, everything was wet and of no help. It felt like forever before he found an area that was mostly dry and in it a vase of dried out flowers, not the best tinder but he would make do. Once he had that he then needed to find a way to light the fire, finding some flint in another room. He quickly set the fire up and went to work trying to light it. He ended up striking the flint on his sword, needing the sharper edge of the blade but finally the fire caught, and he huddled next to it, trying to dry out and warm up.

"I need food," he grumbled, now that he was warming up his stomach was making itself known and it wasn't happy. When had he last eaten? It had to have been a few hours before the game since he never played on a full stomach. He curled up beside the fire and closed his eyes, exhausted.

He jolted awake some time later to an odd skittering noise, looking around wildly but all he saw was his dying fire. "Hey, wait! Wait! Don't go out on me! Just hold on. I'll get more wood!" he pleaded before he spotted the creature above him. It ran along the wall before jumping down to him, engaging him in battle. This thing was a lot bigger than him and definitely not friendly. "Gimme a break!" he grumbled, darting in to slash at its legs.

Just then, a door blew off on one side of the room and some strange people stepped out with weapons. A girl stepped forward and started to fight the fiend with him, while the armed men watched. "You on my side? Cool!" his odds of survival just went up a lot. With a last grenade the thing finally died, dispersing into coloured lights and he turned to grin at his saviour. "Whew! That was close." Two of the men moved in, grabbing and disarming him, shocking Tidus who struggled against them but couldn't break free. "Hey, lemme go!"

"Fryd ec drec?"

"Y fiend! Eh risyh teckieca!"

"Oac! Ed ec cu!"

"Fa gemm ed?"

Tidus listened to the men argue…and couldn't understand a word of it. He didn't like their tones though, or the way a blade was suddenly against his throat. He glanced at the girl as she spoke up, hoping after fighting together that she'd be on his side.

"Fyed! Fryd ev ed ec risyh?"

"Drao yna dra cysa eh taydr."

"E vunpet ed! Fa pnehk ed fedr ic." She walked up to Tidus who stared at her, lost. "Cunno."

Tidus gasped as she drove her knee up into his gut, doubling up as the men released him, crumpling to the ground. He saw her walking away as the world dimmed to black.

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Rikku winced in sympathy as the boy was dumped roughly on the deck. She knew the others were upset about bringing him, but she couldn't let them kill him or leave him there to die. He had looked so relieved to see them and that had made a nice change. Surely he had realised what they were? Then again, if not for his blue eyes and lack of their language, she would have thought he was one of them. she knelt beside him, frowning, his clothes were strange too. The style seemed to be similar to a Blitzball uniform but the make and materials were very different if he was a Blitzer then they should be able to drop him in Luca when they were done…if she could convince Brother not to throw him overboard. But if he played, he could be useful in the salvage work.

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Tidus woke slowly, body screaming in pain and hunger. The ground beneath him was moving rhythmically, an actin he was so familiar with he didn't even need to think to know he was on a boat. For a second he thought he was home, that it had all been a bad dream, but then reality set in, if he was home he wouldn't feel this bad. He opened his eyes and slowly sat up to see the people from the hall. He started to get up only for someone to move closer.

"Ced, lybdeja!" He slammed the butt of the weapon into Tidus who crumpled back to the deck.

"Hey, that hurts!"

"Hu sujehk, rayn?" a second man snapped something at him and Tidus held his hands up in surrender.

"Whoa... Okay." He settled back on the deck as a man and the girl from the ruins emerged from below deck.

"Caynir res!" the newcomer called and Tidus was hauled up, his clothing searched but he had nothing except…where was his sword? Then the man started miming something, diving maybe?

"Right. Whatever," he mumbled as he was released.

"Tu oui hud cbayg?"

"I said I don't understand!"

"Ehcumahla!"

"Fyed!" the girl called, moving between them. "He said you can stay if you make yourself useful."

"You... You understand me?" Tidus stared at her in shock before nodding. "All right, I'll work!"

"We found some ancient ruins right beneath us. It's not active now, but there should still be some power left. We're gonna go down there and activate it...and then we should be able to salvage the big prize! Okay! Let's get to work!" she paused. "Oh! Here, you might need this," she passed him his sword and he attached it to his belt chain again.

"Roger!" he dove into the water, relieved it wasn't as cold as before and then she joined him. She pointed to the anchor line and he nodded, following her down towards the ruins. Being back in the water was just what he needed, he could feel his worries and pain fading away as he gave into the joy of being in the water, even if he was working some weird job for people he didn't even know.

They came up to the building and swam in through what was once a window. Tidus found a control panel and was surprised to see it was still working, sort of. This was something he could do…it was like any other control panel and he soon had the nearby door grinding open, earning a thumbs up from the girl. They ran into a few schools of fish fiends as they made their way through the complex, but he was almost enjoying himself. They swam into another room and he moved to see what he could make of the controls. They were old fashioned, simple to use, and that was good since it meant they had lasted, even fully submerged. He frowned as the lights flickered but nothing else happened and then looked round, the crystals in the middle of the room were out of alignment so he began hitting them, pushing them back into position. He froze, a sudden warning flashing through his body as he threw himself backwards, narrowly avoiding the attack of some kind of mutant octopus. A fiend…wonderful. She threw a grenade and then darted in while it was stunned, confusing him, until he saw her grab something off its body…more grenades. Why an octopus had grenades he had no idea, but it meant she had fresh ammunition. They worked together until finally catching it in a pincer manoeuvre, taking it out.

Once it was dead he finished aligning the crystals and hit the button, plunging them into darkness for several seconds before the complex lit up, floodlights illuminating the sea outside as well. They swam outside and looked around in awe even as other divers moved around. The girl grabbed his arm and pointed down and Tidus looked, struggling to see until he realised there was something massive down there…something metal? They headed back up towards the surface, tired yet happy. Tidus scrambled onboard and dropped to the deck, breathing hard and she soon appeared over the side as well.

"Fa vuiht dra airship!"

"Dra naluntc fana nekrd."

"Huf, ruf du tnyk ed ib?"

The men talked as they headed below deck and Tidus scrambled up to follow them only to be blocked at the door.

"Oui, uidceta!"

"Hey, I helped out, didn't I?" he called through the now shut door before going back to his spot on the deck, wrapping his arms around himself to ward of the cold and hunger. Night had well and truly fallen, and the temperature had dropped a lot. He huddled between some crates and drifted off to sleep, not like he had anything else to do, though at least they'd let him keep his sword this time.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Rikku ate her dinner, considering the older boy they'd left up on deck. It wasn't really fare, he'd helped them get that place running a lot quicker than they'd expected. He'd seemed to know what he was doing with those controls which was very strange for a non-Al Bhed. Maybe his great-grandparents belonged to their people?

"Cheer up Rikku! We'll have it up before you know it!"

She smiled at her brother. "I'm fine. Just that boy…we should drop him in Luca. He looks like a Blitzer. He helped us after all."

Brother stared at her, considering it. "Fine, but if he causes trouble he's overboard."

"Great!" She kissed his cheek and went to get another tray, they couldn't let him starve.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tidus was woken some time later by a kick, and then the girl put down tray of food beside him. "Whoa! Right on!" he didn't bother with the cutlery, too hungry. He gobbled it down quickly, too quickly since he choked.

"Hey!" she quickly offered her canteen. "It's 'cause you eat too fast!" she chided him. Tidus laughed and got up to stretch. "Hey!"

"Hello there," he grinned as he greeted her, feeling happy now that his stomach was full. "What is your name?"

"Rikku," she smiled back at him, he seemed a very happy kind of guy so far…when he wasn't getting pushed around anyway.

"Whoa! You really do understand! Why didn't you say so earlier?" it would have made things a lot easier if she'd translated before.

"I didn't get a chance to! Everyone thought oui were a fiend," she waved her arms around. They hadn't wanted to listen to her pleas that he was human.

"Uh…"we"?" now he was confused again. He moved to lean against the crates, getting comfortable and hoping she'd stay out with him for a while, it was good to have someone to talk to.

"Oh, "oui" means "you.""

"Um… Who are you guys, anyway?" he didn't even know other languages were still spoken! He'd only ever heard of them in history class.

"We're Al Bhed. Can't you tell?" she smiled nervously, she didn't want him to be an Al Bhed hater, he was nice if a bit weird. "Wait. You're not an Al Bhed-hater, are you?" she needed to know so she could run interference till they got to Luca.

"I don't even know what an Al Bhed is," he shrugged, was it something bad? She seemed nice enough.

"Where are you from?" she was curious, his clothing was too good for any of the islands but how had he ended up so far out to sea?

Tidus grinned at her. "Zanarkand. I'm a Blitzball player. Star player of the Zanarkand Abes!"

"Did you hit your head or something?" she demanded, wondering if she had a potion in her room somewhere.

"Um, you guys hit me," he pointed out blandly and she winced.

"Oh, right…" Oops. "Do you remember anything before that?"

Tidus hesitated but then he told her everything there was to tell about Zanarkand…About life there, Blitzball, and Sin's attack…and about how Auron and he were engulfed in this light. He just said things as they came to mind. But then he started to wonder as he watched her face. "Did I… say something funny?"

"You were near Sin," she clarified, and he nodded. "Don't worry, you'll be better in no time. They say your head gets funny when Sin is near. Maybe you just had some kind of dream?"

"You mean I'm sick?" he didn't feel sick, he felt great now he had food in him, he was even feeling a bit warmer.

"Because of Sin's toxin, yeah." Now she really felt bad about how he'd been treated since they found him. Poor guy was so confused, hopefully someone in Luca would recognise him and take him home.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, there is no Zanarkand anymore. Sin destroyed it a thousand years ago. So…no one plays Blitzball there," she explained as gently as she could.

"Huh?! What do you mean, a thousand years ago? But I saw Sin attack Zanarkand! You're saying that happened a thousand years ago? No way!" it just wasn't possible. What had happened to him? There was no way he'd time travelled or something…was there?

"You said…You play Blitzball?" she was glad she'd guessed right, even if she didn't recognise which team that uniform belonged to.

"Uh-huh."

"You know, you should go to Luca. Someone might know who you are, or you might find someone you recognize."

"Luca?" he'd never heard of a place called Luca, but she seemed to know about Zanarkand so the two had to be close? Maybe his Zanarkand was different to hers? She groaned at his question and he sighed in defeat, looking away, he just wanted to go home.

She looked up and smiled at him. "Okay, leave it to me! I'll get you to Luca, promise!" he blinked in shock and she laughed. "You'd rather stay here?" he shook his head quickly and she laughed again. "Okay, I'll go tell the others. Wait here," she moved to go below but then turned back. "Oh, and one thing. Don't tell anyone you're from Zanarkand, okay? Yevon says it's a holy place. You might upset someone."

"Oh… uh-huh," he was shocked by that. His Zanarkand, some kind of holy place? Yeah right, since when? Yevon? Sin? Luca? He'd thought Sin just took him to a faraway place, that he could go back in a day or two. But a thousand years into the future? "No way!" He kicked the side of ship in anger, tears burning in his eyes, but he hadn't cried since his Mom's funeral. The ship shook and he stared at where he'd kicked, he couldn't have… "Wh-whoa!" he grabbed on as the others rushed onto the deck.

"Sin!"

"Sin ec lusa!"

"Ihtan ic! Ihtan ic!"

"Whoa!" Tidus scrambled for a better hold as the ship rocked like crazy but then a wave swept over the deck and he went with it, falling from the side. His last sight was of Rikku reaching a hand out to him and then he slammed into the water and once again his world went black.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Rikku stared in horror as Tidus vanished under the surface, she'd dive in after him except Sin was right there, the water churning like crazy. She'd never find him, even if they both survived Sin and the toxin. As soon as Sin was gone though she dove in, hoping for some sign. A few of the others joined her, feeling bad for how they'd treated him but after a few hours they had to give up, he was gone.

She felt horrible, he'd survived one attack by Sin only to die on their watch in another. He'd been such a nice guy too, willing to help even after she'd knocked him out. She would go to Luca when they were done, try to find his team or family to let them know what had happened to him. It was the right thing to do.

TBC…

Translations (according to an online script of the game):

["What is this?"]

["A fiend! In human disguise!"]

["Yes! It is so!"]

["We kill it?"]

["Wait! What if it is human?"]

["They are the same in death."]

["I forbid it! We bring it with us."] ["Sorry."]

["Sit, captive!"]

["No moving, hear?"]

["Search him!"]

["Do you not speak?"]

["Insolence!"]

["Stop!"]

["We found the airship!"]

["The records were right."]

["Now, how to drag it up?"]

["You, outside!"]

Sin!

Sin is come!

Under us! Under us!


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

 **Chapter 3**

Tidus spluttered, choking on water and he kicked up, coughing as he came up from the water, wiping his eyes clear as he looked out at the calm sea, confused, and then it hit him, the boat…Sin… "Rikku!" he yelled, looking around for any sign of the perky girl. Something slammed into his head and he shook his head, looking for the object only to see a blue and white ball floating in the water. "Blitzball!"

"Hey! You okay?" A male voice called from behind him and he turned to see a group of guys on the beach, all dressed the same. Obviously they were a Blitzball team, finally, something he recognised. He straightened up and found he could just reach the bottom, he was in shallower water than he'd first thought.

"Heeey!" he waved at them and then grinned he quickly showed off his signature "Sphere shot", sending the ball flying back at them and over into the jungle. Hopefully that wasn't their only ball, oops.

"Whoa-ho!" the same guy called in awe.

Tidus grinned and swam closer before walking the rest of the way onto the warm sand. "Yo! Hiya!" he greeted as the team gathered around him.

"You wanna try that move one more time?" the obvious Captain asked, holding out another ball and Tidus grinned before doing it again, it wasn't as easy out of the water, but he could still do it. "You're no amateur. Who you play for?"

"Ah…" he hesitated, remembering Rikku's words. "I, uh….don't remember. I don't know where this place is. Or even where I came from," he offered. "I was on a boat and then Sin came and I woke up here."

"Sin's toxin got to you. But, you're still alive. Praise be to Yevon!" he bowed and Tidus blinked in confusion.

"All right, back to practice!" he ordered the team who grumbled but went back to work. "I'm Wakka, coach and captain of the Besaid Aurochs, brudda." He offered his hand and Tidus shook it.

"Tidus," he introduced himself. Watching them practice, Tidus felt like cringing. They had to be the worst team he'd ever seen. "Focus on what you're doing, not the ball!" he called out as one of the guys got hit in the head by the ball. He glanced to Wakka for permission who shrugged and waved him on, so he walked over to help the poor guy before he hurt himself.

,,,,,,,,,,,,

Wakka watched as the kid worked with Letty, grinning as after a few more tries, he got the move. He may not remember his team, but he was good! He didn't recognise Tidus from last year's tournament and he was young, so he was probably new to whichever team he was on. He'd suggest he head to Luca, to see if he could find his teammates and home. It was tempting to ask him to play…if he was recognised though it could cause trouble. He leant against a rock, watching as Tidus was surrounded, working with the team, he really wanted him on the team and then maybe they would win his last tournament. Finally the kid walked back to him, grimacing slightly and Wakka saw him clutch at his stomach for a second. "What? You hungry? Okay! Back to the village. I'll get you somethin'!" he offered and slapped him on the back, seeing the grateful look in his eyes. He was hardly the first person to wash up on shore after an attack, though it didn't happen often.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tidus walked beside Wakka, taking in the quiet beauty of the island. He felt like he could trust this Wakka, so he just had to ask. "It's true Zanarkand was destroyed, right? A thousand years ago? So it's just a big pile of rubble now, isn't it?"

Wakka eyes him before shrugging and answering. "Long time ago, there were a whole lot of cities in Spira. Big cities with machina–machines–to run 'em. People played all day and let the machina do the work. And then, well, take a look. Sin came, and destroyed the machina cities. And Zanarkand along with 'em. Yeah, that was about a thousand years ago, just like you said. If you ask me, Sin's our punishment for letting things get out of hand. What gets me, though… is we gotta suffer, 'cause of what some goofballs did way back when! 'Course, we must always repent for our sins! That's important! It's just that, it's hard to keep at it sometimes, you know?"

It was just as Rikku said. Wakka and Rikku couldn't both be lying. Why would they? How could it be possible? He'd been in Zanarkand. Time travel was a myth…wasn't it? It was the only answer he had though.

Wakka shook his head. "Why the interest in Zanarkand anyway? No one goes there but Summoners and their Guardians, it's a Holy Place, ya?"

Tidus shrugged. "Heard it mentioned." Everything that happened to him–all this–started with Sin. Maybe if he could find Sin one more time, he could go home! For now, he'd just live life until that time came. No more worrying about where, or when, he was. Sure, it was hard not to think of home. But he was starting to feel better already. A little better…maybe.

"Hey! It's this way!" Wakka waved him over to one of the paths and Tidus followed him to a ledge, overlooking the river.

"Huh?" he went to look at Wakka only to go flying forward as he was hit. He twisted, turning the fall into a dive and hit the water smoothly, going deep before kicking back up to the surface. "What's the big idea?" he grumbled as Wakka surfaced nearby. Wakka just grinned and started swimming so Tidus followed him, just enjoying being back in the water. He blinked when he realised Wakka was gone and then he was struggling as he was grabbed in a headlock. "Lemme go!"

"Got a favour to ask ya," Wakka said as he avoided Tidus' kicking legs.

"You want me on your team, right?"

Wakka finally let go and Tidus put some distance between them. "A major blitz tournament's coming up. All the teams in Spira'll be there! It's so huge, I'm sure someone there will recognize you! Then you can go back to your old team, right? It'll be fun! What do you say, huh? Come on, come on! You play with us until your team sees you and comes to claim you."

Tidus hesitated but it wasn't like he had anything else to do. Blitzball was all he knew, and he'd need a way to support himself until he could return home. "Sure thing."

"Dude! Our team is gonna rock, eh?" Wakka laughed and Tidus smiled, maybe with six months more training they would but he'd do his best to help them.

They left the river and hiked up a hill until they reached a promontory. Wakka moved to the edge and pointed down so Tidus looked down to see a tiny collection of huts.

"Besaid. This is where I was born. I started blitz when I was five. I joined the Aurochs at thirteen…ten years ago. Ten years…and we never won a game. Well, after last year's tournament, I quit. Time seemed right. So, after quitting, I got this new job, ya? But every time my mind wandered, I thought about the game."

"Ten years without a single win will do that," that was one massive losing streak! And now he wasn't as confident about playing for them.

Wakka grunted. "My first match last year was my big chance. But something else was on my mind. I couldn't focus."

"Nice excuse," Tidus scoffed.

"Hey, hey!"

"So you want to win the next tournament–go out with a bang," Tidus offered and Wakka nodded. "So, what's our goal?"

"I don't care how we do. Long as we play our best. If we give it our all, I can walk away happy," he shrugged.

Tidus shook his head in dismay, "No, no, no, no, no. If I say, "What's our goal?" you say, "Victory!" When you play in a Blitzball tournament, you play to win!"

"Victory? You serious?" Wakka stared at him like he was crazy but Tidus nodded.

"That's what you always have to aim for. Doing your best is what you always have to go into a game doing. You need the motivation to win."

"Okay," Wakka grinned, he liked that idea.

They started walking down the slope towards the village, Tidus looking around curiously. He'd never seen anywhere other than Zanarkand before. They walked for a while before two people approached from the direction they were heading in.

"Ah, the one from the sea!" the older one called in greeting.

"Be on guard. There're fiends on the road today!" his younger companion warned.

"After surviving your run-in with Sin, 'twould be a shame if something happened now," he nodded and the two headed off on patrol.

"Who were they?" Tidus asked as they started walking again.

"Luzzu and Gatta–Crusaders."

"Eh? Crews of what?"

"What, you forgot that too?" Wakka looked at him in disbelief and Tidus sagged. "Hey, sorry. Don't worry about it. I'll help you out."

"Cool." He hated this, hated pretending he had amnesia but after listening to Rikku and Wakka he knew no one would believe the truth. This place was so different to home, there was so much he didn't know, that would make him stand out for all the wrong reasons. But what else could he do? "In return, come tournament time, I'll make sure we take the cup!" eh forced a grin and Wakka laughed.

"Cool! About the Crusaders, you can ask them yourself. They've got a lodge in the village," Wakka offered as they reached the wooden wall. "Besaid Village."

"They got any food there?"

"We'll get you something over there later," He pointed out one of the crude huts. "Take a look around first. Let's see… The Crusaders Lodge is over yonder. Luzzu and Gatta are usually there," he pointed to the only hut with a sign on the front. "Hm…Oh, right. Over here!" he tugged Tidus out of sight.

"Huh? What's up?"

"You do remember the prayer, right?" Wakka hissed and Tidus stared at him, lost.

"I don't remember," he muttered, he hadn't known in the first place. He'd never prayed before in his life. Not that he would know that…

"Man, that's like the basics of the basics. Alright. I'll show you. You…must have forgot or something. " Wakka slowly went through the motions of the bow and then gave an encouraging smile. "Go ahead, you try."

"Hm." He imitated what Wakka had done, making sure to move slowly and a bit clumsy since he had claimed to have forgotten but any Blitzball player would know that prayer, it was the Blitzball sign for victory. How he heck had it become a religious prayer?

"Hey, not bad," Wakka praised, slapping him on the shoulder. "Okay, now go present yourself to the temple summoner," he called as he left Tidus at the entrance.

Tidus looked at the huts and then forward at the only stone building, that had to be the Temple. Right, he could do this. He walked towards it, amazed by how much nicer it was to the rest of the village. Why did they live in such small wooden huts when obviously other building methods and materials were known about? Where was all the technology or magic?

Tidus entered the temple, and immediately he felt…safe. It was strange, like being home and he could hear singing, a tune he knew but couldn't remember how. He walked further in, staring at the various statues. As he stared he began to realise how different this world was from his own. He looked around until he saw a man in robe like things, walking over since he figured he was the priest.

"Ten years have passed since Lord Braska became high summoner. And finally we receive a statue for our temple," the man comment, looking up at a new statue.

"What's a high summoner?" Tidus asked, hearing the people around him gasp. "I…I got too close to Sin's, uh, toxin," he hated having to use that excuse. It was funny hearing himself make the same excuse over and over. Funny, and a little sad.

"The summoners are practitioners of a sacred art, sworn to protect the people of Yevon. Only a chosen few become summoners, who call forth entities of great power: the aeons. The aeons hear our prayers and come down to us. They are the blessing of Yevon." He gave the bow.

Tidus nodded as if he understood. As far as he could tell, it meant that they should respect some sort of great men or something like that?

"Pray hard, and the toxin will surely release its grip on you," the priest offered kindly and then began pointing at the statues. "The high summoners, in order from the right: Lord Braska, Lady Yocun… Lord Ohalland, and Lord Gandof. Do you remember them now?"

Tidus shook his head but watched the other worshippers and mimicked them, it couldn't hurt after all….hopefully. Eventually he left the Temple and headed back into the village to look around. He sat on the stairs, not sure where to go first and an old man approached him.

"I heard the Sin toxin got to you. Took your memory, eh?" he offered gently and Tidus nodded glumly. "I'd be happy to teach you anything you've forgotten, sonny."

That perked Tidus up a bit. "What's Sin?" hopefully he wouldn't make fun of him for not knowing.

"How could you forget Sin? I can't say I don't envy you, though. There's many who would give anything to forget the pain Sin has brought. Sin appeared a thousand years ago, a raging demon intent on reducing Spira to rubble. Everyone in Spira lives under Sin's shadow. But to forget Sin…well, I'd consider yourself lucky, eh?"

Tidus nodded, yeah, lucky. "What's toxin?" he should know what he was claiming after all.

'The foul vapours that boil from Sin's hide are evil indeed…One breath, and it will taint the very core of your body. People who get too close to Sin forget even the most important things. Just like you, eh?" he gave him a sympathetic look and Tidus nodded, absently toying with his pendant.

"What….what's Yevon?"

"How wretched you must be, to have forgotten the teachings of Yevon! The teachings are the only salvation for those who suffer because of Sin. I'm sure you followed the teachings, before the toxin got to you, of course. Go pray at the temple, and all will return in time." He patted Tidus' shoulder gently, feeling very bad for him.

"One last question…what's Zanarkand?"

"Zanarkand was once a great city in the far north of this land. Now it lies in a ruin, destroyed by Sin a thousand years ago. Such was its punishment for relying too much on machina."

"I see….thank you."

"No problem at all sonny, may Yevon restore your memory soon." He bowed and moved off.

Tidus stood and began poking around, finding a man standing in front of a run down, half destroyed hut near the trees. "Sin's struck Besaid Village so many times I lost count. After this house got hit I guess the owner just let it be," he whispered before looking at Tidus with haunted eyes. "Sin will just come back and destroy it again. Sometimes I wonder why I bother."

Tidus quickly moved on, unnerved by the man who seemed almost dead. He saw the Crusader hut and went inside, spotting Luzzu and Gatta at the table. He approached and Gatta looked up from the chart they were examining.

"Hey, you! You were attacked by Sin…right? Recently was it?"

"I think so," Tidus answered, startled by the forcefulness of the question.

"So, Sin can't be far, right? You're not hiding anything, are you?" he demanded and Tidus held his hands up in surrender.

"Why would I?"

"If Sin's nearby, it'll attack the island for sure. But it hasn't. I wonder why?" Luzzu was a lot calmer.

"I'm sorry. I really don't know anything. To tell the truth, I don't even know what the Crusaders are," he shrugged.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Sin! The toxin! Gatta, tell him who we are!"

"Yes, sir!" He stood, saluting. "The Crusaders are sworn to battle Sin! We have chapters throughout Spira, accepting all who wish to join our struggle! The hero Mi'ihen formed the Crusaders eight hundred years ago as the Crimson Blades. Later, our ranks grew, and we called ourselves the Crusaders. We've been fighting Sin ever since!"

"What, you've been fighting eight hundred years and you still haven't beat it?" he couldn't believe it, what were they doing, fighting with sticks? His question had Gatta stammering, not knowing what to say.

"Well, we've steered Sin away from towns many times! And that's all we can do. Nobody's ever been able to defeat it. Our mission as Crusaders is to protect the temples, towns, villages, and people of Spira," Luzzu answered for him.

"So then whose job is it to defeat Sin?"

"Is Sin's toxin really this bad, sir?" Gatta whispered in horror.

"It does seem rather bad…" Luzzu admitted, feeling a swell of pity for the young man. He couldn't imagine forgetting so much, though at least he still knew who he was. "We could just tell you, but I think it better for you to try and remember. Go pray at the temple. Perhaps Yevon will help you regain your memory."

"But soon, we may be able to finally defeat Sin. We've got a plan–one that'll go down in Crusader history!" Gatta grinned, happy to be able to say something to Tidus' accusation over how long it was taking to defeat Sin.

Luzzu shook his head. "We've been excommunicated from Yevon. We must go, now. Everything is riding on our next…our last battle!" He clapped Tidus on the shoulder and then the rolled up their charts and left.

He still had a lot of questions, but he was wary of asking too much more of anyone. Surely this toxin excuse would be stretched thin eventually. And he was still starving. He glanced at the counter where a man was wiping it down.

"Need a bed lad? The lodge is open to guests," he explained warmly and Tidus nodded.

"Yeah, at least for tonight." His stomach growled and he grimaced, but the man chuckled and ducked out for a second.

"Here," he put a plate to with some bread and fruit plus a glass of water. "On the house."

"Thanks!" He sat on the stool and dug in. by the time he finished his energy was gone and he was dropping on the stool.

"Third bed on the left," the man told him gently and Tidus stumbled over, falling onto the bed without even removing his shoes though he did unhook his sword. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, he hadn't slept in days, being unconscious didn't count.

Several hours later he was woken by the noise from outside. He got up and slipped outside to find night had fallen and a party atmosphere, the bonfire lit.

"Hey, over here!" Wakka called as he spotted him and Tidus walked over only to end up in a headlock, being dragged into the crowd.

"What? Ow!"

"Wait till you see this!"

"I can't see anything!" Tidus argued and thankfully Wakka let him go, waving towards a young girl dressed in a flowing floral skirt and carrying a staff.

"Ready!" Wakka called to her.

"Okay," she smiled back at them and then she twirled her staff and body.

Tidus stared in awe as the air around her lit up with colour and symbols. What was this? And then a massive bird like creature appeared and flew down, landing next to her, lowering its head for her to stroke. He had never seen anything like it in his life. Sure, it was a little scary, but still…he could feel a strange kind of gentleness coming from it. It gave him a similar feeling as the Temple had and he didn't understand why.

Wakka nudged him, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Let me introduce you to the team." He tugged Tidus over to them and grinned. "This guy here wants into the tournament so bad, I let him on the team. His memory's a little fuzzy, so don't mind him if he says anything odd! Come on, say hi," he pushed Tidus forward.

"Uh… hi, guys," this was awkward.

"Hi, there," they muttered in return and Tidus took a calming breath.

"So, what's our goal?"

The Aurochs lunged and fist pumped. "To do our best!"

"Nope, we got a new goal now! Our new goal…is victory! To win every match, defeat every opposing team! To bring the Crystal Cup back to our island! That's all we need to do to win! Easy, ya?" Wakka asked and the team exchanged uncertain looks.

"Victory… " they started getting into it until they were shouting. "Victory! Victory! Victory! Yay!"

Tidus watched with a grin, if they could keep up that enthusiasm and energy they might have a chance. He walked away and sat on a barrel, content to just watch.

"Hello," a soft voice called, and he turned his head to see the girl who had called the bird. "I am Yuna. Are you the one Wakka found on the beach?"

"Yeah, I'm Tidus. I say that bird thing, it was amazing!"

"Valefor is an Aeon," she explained. "Do you think I can become high summoner?"

"Sure," he still wasn't entirely sure what that was, but she seemed so hopeful.

"Where are you from?" she asked curiously.

"Zanarkand," he answered before catching himself.

"Lady Yuna come play with us!" a little girl called, and Yuna stood with a smile before turning back to Tidus.

"So, tomorrow, then."

"Tomorrow?" he asked in confusion.

"We're going on the same boat, aren't we?"

"Oh, really?"

"We can talk more. You can tell me all about Zanarkand!" she smiled as she left, and he stared after her in confusion. Did she believe him?

Wakka came up beside him and nudged him. "She's cute, ya?"

"Yeah, but I'm not even thinking about anything like that, not with the mess I'm in," he answered honestly and Wakka nodded.

"Then we're cool," there was nothing wrong with admitting she was cute as long as Tidus recognised nothing could happen.

"She said we're catching the same boat tomorrow?"

"Yeah, first to Kilika and then to Luca where the tournament is held. She will pray at the Temple and so will the team. Our paths part at Luca where she will continue on her Pilgrimage with her Guardians, including me. The team will come back here after the tournament. I asked the team, you do good and you'll have a spot with them, if you can't find anyone in Luca you know, or your memory comes back."

"That's…" he swallowed. "Thanks." It was good to know he would have somewhere to go but…living his life here? He couldn't imagine living in this tiny village forever. He needed to find Auron if he'd survived…Rikku too. She had offered to take him to Luca too so maybe she would be there. And if this tournament was such a big deal, surely Auron would look for him there since he was a player. He stayed out for a while, grabbing something more to eat before turning in, tomorrow promised to be busy.

He tossed and turned for a while before falling asleep and into a very strange dream. Standing on a dock was Yuna. "Where's that boat?"

"Everyone will find us if it doesn't come soon," she answered without looking at him.

"You really sure this is okay?"

"Would you take me to Zanarkand?" she turned to look at him as Rikku ran up.

"Hey!" she called as Tidus jogged briskly in place. "You said you'd go with me!"

"Oh, hey… I, uh…"

"I thought Wakka told you not to get any ideas?" Rikku snapped in annoyance.

"He did?" Yuna demanded.

"Gyaaaah…."

"Yeah, so you're coming with me!" Rikku grinned even as Tidus heard a familiar voice.

"Hey! Stop dreaming! You, with a woman? You can't even catch a ball!" Jecht sneered. Tidus was now a child, holding his head and rocking. "Oh, what's the matter?" Jecht asked as Yuna and Rikku appeared beside him. "Gonna cry again? Cry, cry. That's the only thing you're good for!"

"I hate you," young Tidus whispered.

"Huh? What'd you say?"

"You have to speak loudly," Yuna urged.

"I hate you!" Tidus snapped, louder this time.

"Eh?"

"That's the spirit!" Rikku cheered.

"You can do it!" Yuna smiled at him.

"I hate you!" Tidus yelled as he jerked up in the bed, panting. He looked around in confusion before relaxing, it had just been a dream…a very strange dream. Why was he dreaming of his Old Man after all this time?

"He's dead, okay? Dead!" An unfamiliar voice said and Tidus got up, moving to the entrance and peering out to see Wakka and a woman he'd seen at the party, usually with Yuna. "He does look a lot like Chappu. I was surprised, too, the first time I saw him. But no matter what he looks like, he isn't Chappu. You shouldn't have brought him here in the first place!"

"Yeah, but…he needed my help!"

"Excuses again?" she sneered and Tidus immediately didn't like her.

"Yeah, but…"

"That's it. No more. Enough, Wakka!" she stormed off and Tidus moved back as Wakka walked into the lodge.

"Sca-ary! So, who's Chappu?" he asked after a moments silence, there was no way to pretend he hadn't heard.

"My little brother, Chappu. He looked like you," Wakka admitted softly and Tidus winced.

"He's dead?"

"He was with the Crusaders when they fought Sin last year. He didn't make it. I first heard on the day of the tournament," Wakka answered and Tidus felt bad for his earlier scorn over Wakka's inattention to the game last year.

"Oh, so that's why."

"I became a guardian to fight Sin, ya?"

"Revenge, then?" he sat at the table.

"That was the idea. But…I'm more worried about a stupid game now than avenging my brother. Well, after the next tournament, I'll be a guardian full-time," he announced and then slumped. "I know it kinda looks like I'm using you, but I'm not."

Tidus shook his head. "Don't worry. I mean, I owe you a lot. You really helped me out, you know? What I mean is… thanks, Wakka." He stood and held out his hand.

"Heh. Stop, you're embarrassing me!" he waved him off and Tidus laughed, watching as Waka headed back to his own tent before going back to bed himself.

He woke early the next morning and grabbed some food from the man at the counter before heading out, finding Wakka and the lady waiting in the village square. "Hey! Sleepyhead! Something I want to give you," he held out a sword.

"Whoa! You're giving this…to me?" Tidus blinked, he already had a sword, his Dad's.

"Yeah, use it well!" Wakka grinned.

"That's the sword you gave Chappu," the woman pointed out coldly.

"Well, he never used it."

"I...uh…Wakka thanks but I don't want to cause trouble. I've got my Dad's sword, I'll be fine."

"You sure?" Wakka asked but how could he argue with him using his Dad's sword and hey, that meant he remembered his Dad which was good. "Okay." He put the sword back in his hut. "Where's Yuna?"

"We're taking the same boat as Yuna, right? Why do we gotta wait here?" Tidus asked curiously.

"Yuna came to this village ten years ago, when the last Calm started."

"The Calm?" great, another thing he didn't know.

"Since then, she's been like a little sister to me and Lulu. But she had the talent…She became an apprentice. Now, today, she leaves as a summoner."

"This is our journey…We should leave together," Lulu said and Tidus was just glad to finally know her name.

Yuna finally appeared, leaving the temple while dragging a suitcase.

"You really don't need all that luggage," Lulu called to her.

"Ah… They're not really my things. They're gifts for the temples we're to visit."

"This isn't a vacation, Yuna," Wakka shook his head.

"I guess…I guess you're right," she looked back at the temple before letting go of the suitcase.

"Okay! Off we go!" Wakka grinned while Yuna bowed to the temple before following them from the village.

They'd barely gotten on the road before they were attacked by fiends, the three of them moving to fight while Yuna hung back, gripping her staff. Tidus easily took care of several ground-based ones and Wakka smirked before throwing his Blitzball, taking down a flyer to Tidus' surprise. The biggest surprise was Lulu throwing a lightning bolt at another fiend…he'd never seen magic like that before! Thankfully they made it to the Promontory uninjured and in reasonable time.

Yuna and Lulu moved to look down at the village. "Take your time" Lulu offered quietly, knowing what this meant for Yuna.

"Let's get going, man!"

"We're gonna wait," Wakka told him, folding his arms over his chest.

"Huh?" Tidus was confused, they'd been in a hurry before.

Yuna eventually walked over to Wakka.

"Are you ready?" he asked gently, and she nodded before leaving. Lulu followed, pausing and exchanging nods with Wakka, then they left.

"What's going on?" Tidus hated being so confused. He followed to find them kneeling before a statue, praying.

"It's an ancient custom. People leaving the island pray here for a safe trip," Wakka explained before looking away. "Chappu didn't pray that day. Said he'd miss his boat." He went back to it and Tidus hesitated before copying him, it couldn't hurt after all. "That should do it!" he got up and they headed for the dock.

They were passing under some ruins when Tidus got a bad feeling, loosening his sword before he jumped back as a big blue…being, leapt down at him, attacking with a spear. Tidus struggled to block his attacks, feeling one slip past his guard, his thigh stinging, and he could feel blood dripping down his leg, shifting his weight off it.

"That's enough!" Wakka yelled and the blue guy backed off.

Tidus watched him warily before putting his sword back and then bending to tend his leg, remembering the potion he'd picked up after killing a fiend. He downed it quickly, relieved when he felt the wound heal. "What's with that guy?"

"Kimahri Ronso, of the Ronso tribe. He's learned the fiends' way of fighting," Lulu answered.

"That's not what I meant!" he snapped, wiping the blood off his leg.

"He's another of Yuna's guardians," Wakka offered.

"Huh?"

Yuna laughed. "Sometimes we don't understand him either. Kimahri doesn't talk much anyway. But he has protected me since I was a child!"

"Ah…" he was a little surprised she'd laughed, much deeper and that wound would have been serious trouble. He decided he would stay well away from Kimahri. There were a few more attacks and Tidus watched in awe as Yuna summoned Valefor again to fight some but they finally made it to the dock where it seemed the whole village had gathered.

"I knew this time would come someday. I knew," an old woman was muttering as Tidus moved past her.

"May Yevon's blessings be with our summoner on her pilgrimage. Here, a gift from the temple to sanctify her departure," a priest stopped Tidus, handing him a woman's ring and Tidus nodded, he'd make sure she got it. "The journey will be long. Believe the teachings, and you will not go astray."

"We'll miss Lady Yuna! Come back soon, ya?" the children called after her as Yuna boarded the boat. Tidus quickly ran up the ramp just before it was removed, and the boat began to pull away.

"Goodbye," Yuna whispered sadly and Tidus passed her the ring quietly. She glanced down and slipped it on. They all watched as the island began to shrink as the boat picked up speed.

Something about it felt sadder than it should to Tidus, she was just going to fight Sin, surely she'd come home after?

 _TBC…_


End file.
